Why did artists in Southeast Asia begin using video and how was this technology first incorporated
into their works? By staging and recreating pioneering works by ten artists from Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, See Me, See You: Early Video Installation of
Southeast Asia locates pivotal moments when the form first emerged in the region in the
1980s and
1990s.
The exhibition takes its name from Jean Marie Syjuco’s artwork, which incorporates
the live
feed of a video camera. Its title refers to the video camera’s capabilities—its immediacy and
documentary potential—and cultural significance as a tool that enabled people to record and transmit
moving images of themselves and make their lives visible. Although it initially had a cumbersome
form and produced low-resolution images, the video camera presented exciting prospects for creating
powerful connections.
Driven by their curiosity towards novel mass-consumed video technology and an urge to break away
from the conventions of painting and sculpture, these artists turned to installation, performance
and audience participation, applying them in myriad combinations with the moving image. Video
installation culminated from this interdisciplinarity and experimental impulse.
Before the emergence of modern projection screens, video installation relied heavily on what is now
considered an old-school technological behemoth: the cathode-ray tube television. The first
iterations of video installation were imposing sculptural objects, which encroached into the
viewer’s space From its early years until today, video installation has unveiled modes of engaging
audiences through layered spatial and temporal experiences, gaining ground as a medium that is
currently a
staple of contemporary art.
This two-part exhibition features, in its first instalment, works
by
Apinan Poshyananda, Baharudin Mohd Arus, Chng Nai Wee, Johnny Manahan and Jean Marie Syjuco. The
second part, opening in October, will showcase works by Heri Dono, Hasnul Saidon, Ray Langenbach,
Vincent Leow and Krisna Murti.
- Cheng Jia Yun and Clarissa Chikiamco